CRUSTACEA

CRUSTACEA, a subtype of antropods type. There are 6 classes (Branchiopoda, Cephalocarida, Maxillopoda, Ostracoda, Malacostraca, and Remipedia), and more than 17 orders with over 40,000 species throughout the globe. There are 155 species of 4 classes in the RB. Their body, which is a few mm to 80 cm long, is composed of a head, sternum and abdomen, covered with chitinous carapace. They feed on unicellular organism, detrite, organic matter, juicy plant parts, animals, and their corpses. They live in water, though some species (slaters and others) inhabit places with increased humidity. They are part of aquatic ecosystems. Slaters are involved in the soil formation process, sometimes they damage crops in greenhouses. Many C. are objects of fishing and breeding. Crawfish meat is edible.